In one month, ASU mourned the loss of a runner, a reader and a leader.
Engineering sophomore Aaron Spielberg, transfer student Ben Perkey and English senior Nick Ivins died this summer.
Spielberg, a 20-year-old Tempe native, died on June 26 at Tempe St. Luke's Hospital from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident.
According to friends and family, Spielberg was a hard-working student.
An Eagle Scout, he earned the Provost Scholarship to ASU and served as an ambassador to China in Tempe's Si-ster Cities Program.
Spielberg's father, Horst Spielberg, said that before Aaron died, he had just begun volunteering as a youth basketball coach at the Tempe YMCA.
"When he died, his girlfriend, Bri, finished out the season for him as coach," Spielberg said.
Perkey, a 21-year-old transfer sophomore from Paradise Val-ley Community College, died in his sleep July 4 due to an undetected medical condition.
Linda Perkey, his mother, said she gained peace of mind from her son's friends.
"When everyone told us all the stories and memories of my son, it truly fulfilled me as a mom," she said.
Perkey had just completed his first summer session at ASU in June.
"He was excited to continue his studies at ASU and he had made plans to purchase textbooks with his father," Linda Perkey said.
Ivins, 23, died of leukemia on July 17.
According to the Arizona Republic, he was a Dean's List student.
"His family did the greatest thing to celebrate his life when he died," said ASU English professor Mark Lussier, referring to a memorial gathering at Ivins' family Mesa home.
Reach this reporter at mark.saxon@asu.edu.
